Foundation Executive Director

Leslie Lauren relocated to Sequim from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006.  She brings more than twenty-five years of nonprofit experience in fund and program development and project management, primarily in human services.

Since arriving in Sequim, she continued to focus on “her calling to support nonprofits” through work as a marketing communications and fund development consultant for various local  organizations, including Volunteers in Medicine of the Olympics, Dungeness Valley Health & Wellness Clinic, Clallam Mosaic (formerly Special Needs Advocacy Parents, SNAP), Olympic View Community Foundation, among others.

Leslie cites one of the most profound experiences in her career as working side by side with her predecessor, Sue Ellen Riesau, and  past president of the OVCF Board, Jennifer Puff. The trio worked closely together as a “three legged stool” over the past several years focused on training, consulting, and capacity building within the local nonprofit sector, as well as encouraging connection and collaboration among nonprofit leaders and their organizations.

“This experience has reinforced my understanding of the need for a variety of learning and networking opportunities for nonprofit leaders. Based on the numbers of participants taking part in the various offerings and the feedback we have received, we know that people are hungry for connection and for well-presented information designed specifically for nonprofits.”

Helping our Community Grow Together

As a result of this work, OVCF has witnessed a growing desire and willingness among nonprofits to work together. This move toward collaboration is beginning to show great results–with new local coalitions and work teams forming, i.e., the Agriculture Coalition, the Olympic Peninsula Healthy Communities Coalition, and the Capacity Building Learning Community. Thanks to collaboration with a number of regional supports, like Washington Nonprofits, 501 Commons, Statewide Capacity Collaborative, and others, OVCF now stands proudly among those demonstrating the power of collaboration, and hopefully serving as a great role model for others to follow.